Take care of yourself, Mary
by carleymarie
Summary: TRISTIN: I usually thought that being early on a date was a good thing. Then again I'm going out with Rory Gilmore. This is really going against convention. RORY: Oh, this was a date? TRORY
1. Memories and a 'dude' named Vaughn

TITLE: Take care of yourself, Mary

RATING: PG-13, nothing really in this chapter

PAIRING: Trory

START DATE: May 28, 2004.

SUMMARY: Rory tries to admit her feelings to someone, but always seems to get interrupted.

AUTHORS NOTE: I know, _A Little Indulgence_ still isn't finished. I'll get there. But here's my new fic. Two long flashbacks in this chapter. I'm also trying a new format, tell me if you want me to go back to my old ways. I have 12 days left of school. Actually until June 15th. Then I have exams. Four of them, lucky me. Then we have summer. When I thought of this idea, I wanted it to be one chapter, but I'm gonna go for a lengthly one here. Like this whole thing is one day, so I'm figuring this one will be very long. So be patient and enjoy!

****

CHAPTER ONE

Dear Journal,

I saw him again today. Two years ago that boy left my life. At least I thought he did...

** FLASHBACK **

_ PARIS: I knew he was going to do this, but no one wanted to listen to me. It was all, let's make Tristin Romeo, he's hot._

RORY: What about Brad?

PARIS: Brad transferred schools. [Tristin walks up to them] Where have you been? You have to get dressed, we're on in ten minutes.

TRISTIN: Can't.

PARIS: What?

TRISTIN: Actually, my dad had me pulled out of school. He… [Paris walks away] … and is she unhappy.

RORY: What do you mean he had you pulled out of school? What happened?

TRISTIN: Nothing. Just ticked the old man off, that's all.

RORY: By doing what? Tristin, come on, tell me.

TRISTIN: I got in some trouble.

RORY: Trouble involving?

TRISTIN: Involving Duncan and Bowman, and Bowman's dad's safe.

RORY: Oh no.

TRISTIN: I mean, Bowman had a key. It was supposed to be no big deal. And the crazy silent alarm kicked in.

RORY: You broke into Bowman's dad's safe?

TRISTIN: Yes.

RORY: Stupid.

TRISTIN: Yes.

RORY: Well, okay, you can apologize and you can put back the money and you can explain that, I don't know, you were going through something.

TRISTIN: I was, I was going through his safe.

RORY: Why would you do this?

TRISTIN: I don't know. I guess that's something I can ponder at military school.

RORY: Military school?

TRISTIN: The police are letting our parents handle it, and in my case that means military school in North Carolina.

RORY: I don't know what to say.

TRISTIN: Well, I imagine you're overwhelmed with the relief in knowing that soon I will be gone.

RORY: I'm so sorry.

TRISTIN: Well, I'm a big boy. I can handle it.

RORY: There's nothing you can…

[Tristin's dad calls him from down the hall]

MR. DUGRAY: Tristin, come on.

TRISTIN: I gotta go. So, I'd kiss you goodbye but, uh, your boyfriend's watching. Take care of yourself, Mary. 

Mary. That name. I always told him that I hated it, but I always liked that he singled me out. As I look back at our time together at Chilton (I don't really do it that often...), I realized something. He liked me. I mean Dean told me, Paris did, heck people I didn't even know told me. I tried to ignore it...I did ignore it. Until now that is. I find that we've switched positions. I'm acting like a love...er-like sick teenager who is too scared to open up her mouth and say something to the person I like. Yet I find myself staring at him in my English Literature class.

I'm sure he didn't notice me when I walked into class. I mean cutting off 8 inches of my hair can have that effect on noticing someone. But I noticed him.

I sat down near the back of the classroom while he was sitting in the second row. During class he answered questions intelligently. And what do I do? Sit with my eyes glazed over staring at the back of his head. It reminded me of one day at Chilton...

** FLASHBACK **

_ MS. CALDECOTT: As I mentioned yesterday, we will be holding a debate next week. Your subject 'Did Charles I receive a fair trial' The pros will represent the parliament who deemed they had sovereignty and the cons will represent the monarch and try and prove that the charge against him was not legal. What is fascinating Mr. Dugray? [catching him looking at Rory]_

TRISTIN: Uh, nothing Ms. Caldecott.

MS. CALDECOTT: Nothing Mr. Dugray?

TRISTIN: My notes - my notes are fascinating Ms. Caldecott.

MS. CALDECOTT: Yes they are fascinating Mr. Dugray. As I was saying, the pro and con teams will each have two minutes and 30 seconds for introductions, six minutes to debate, three minutes for conclusions and five minutes for questions from the audience. The winner shall be decided by a hand count from the rest of the class. Does that sound like fun Mr. Dugray? [again, he's looking at Rory]

TRISTIN: What?

MS. CALDECOTT: The debate. Does it sound like fun?

TRISTIN: Yes, it does.

MS. CALDECOTT: It does, doesn't it Mr. Dugray?

TRISTIN: Oh, it absolutely does Ms. Caldecott.

MS. CALDECOTT: More fun than staring at Miss Gilmore's ear?

TRISTIN: Yes Ms. Caldecott.

MS. CALDECOTT: Yeah, I think so too. 

I decided to avert my attention as best I could and pay attention to my class. After about 15 minutes, my professor looked up at the clock and declared that our session was over. And Tristin DuGray walked out of my life...for the second time.

Paris is calling me to tell me about a friend she wants me to hang out with. I guess a lame attempt at a double date to get me out of my supposed "dating rut". So what if I didn't date anyone after Jess?

I've gotta go our Paris will attack me, maybe it would be a better alternative to this "date".

'Till later,

-Love Rory.

PARIS: Rory, come on or we're gonna be late!

RORY: I'm coming! I'm coming! Why do I even have to do this? And don't even think of mentioning Jess.

PARIS: I wasn't. It's just that it's my first date since Jamie and I broke up. And well I suggested you because he mentioned something about a room mate and I didn't want to lose this date so I mentioned you.

RORY: Paris, you have two other room mates who you could put this through with.

PARIS: I know, but you're sweet and nice and I need a wing woman.

RORY: Wing woman?

PARIS: Yes, you know like a wing man, but femalized.

RORY: Good word.

PARIS: Thank you, and can we move it along a little faster?

RORY: Fine. But are you even gonna tell me who these two guys are?

PARIS: Yeah, you may actually know one of them.

RORY: Oh really now. From where?

PARIS: Chilton.

RORY: [Tristin went to Chilton, and I saw him in class...no, I'm just talking...thinking crazy] Oh what's his name?

PARIS: Vaughn is my date, but I don't know who yours is at all really.

RORY: Wow! Isn't that considerate of you. You'll have your gorgeous date and I'll have a one-eyed freak with bad breath that listens to JC Chasez.

PARIS: You're over-reacting Rory. I'm sure he'll be fine, and hot guys stick together.

RORY: Great thought here. Let's go.

PARIS: Rory, you don't even know where we're going which maybe is a good thing.

RORY: Why, where are we going?

PARIS: Uh... you'll see come on, we're already late as it is.

** AT DATE SITE - BOWLING ALLEY**

RORY: Bowling. Well there's my favourite sport right here.

PARIS: Any chance that your voice is always sarcastic and I didn't notice it before?

RORY: You wish. Let's just get our shoes and get this over with.

PARIS: Fine, whatever.

PARIS: Hey Vaughn, this is my friend Rory and...Tristin?

VAUGHN: No way! You guys know each other. Totally wild.

RORY: Oh yeah tot-ally wild. Paris, maybe it is there all the time.

RORY: So Tristin, it's been a long time.

TRISTIN: Yep, not an understatement at all.

RORY: So...

TRISTIN: So...

PARIS: [noticing the hesitation and sexual tenstion between the two and trying to get away from surfer lingo dude says] Well, we're here to bowl, so that's what we should do...bowl.

RORY: [Rory grabs a bowling ball and attempts a granny shot] I know I look cool.

TRISTIN: Oh yeah totally stylish. But how about this. [he walks up to Rory and takes the ball out of her hand and puts her fingers where they should go] Try that.

RORY: [she throws the ball and gets a gutter] I hate sports.

TRISTIN: [takes his ball and throws it with ease getting a strike] It just takes practice.

PARIS: [notices the eye contact between the two and decides to let them be alone] Hey Vaughn, how about we get some pizza and some drinks.

VAUGHN: Totally. Let's get some food. I wonder if they have chicken fingers in the shapes of animals.

[Paris and Vaughn leave]

TRISTIN: So...here we are...

RORY: Here we are...

TRISTIN: I like your hair...shorter.

RORY: You too. It's shorter too...I'm sorry does this seem a bit weird to you?

TRISTIN: Um a girl I had to leave on the night of our play because I broke into a safe and haven't seen her since, but I'm now set up on a date with her not weird at all.

RORY: Yeah, not weird at all.

TRISTIN: I guess I did finally get you to go out on a date with me. Only took a few years of my absence.

RORY: [changes to serious] I hope you know I really didn't want you to leave.

TRISTIN: Really? [very surprised]

RORY: No, not at all.

TRISTIN: I didn't want to leave you either.

RORY: Actually I've been meaning to tell you some-...

PARIS: Rory can I borrow you for a second?

RORY: [annoyed] Sure Paris.

** AWAY FROM LANES **

PARIS: We have to leave.

RORY: What?!

PARIS: Vaughn is a complete idiot. I fhe says 'dude' one more time I will not be able to control my actions. I'll just tell them I'm sick, and I'm sure you'll see Tristin again.

RORY: [trying to seem unphased] Yeah, okay. I guess we should say good bye.

PARIS: I guess that would be a good idea.

** AT LANES**

RORY: I'm sorry. Paris actually has gotten sick from the pizza. She's really not a junk food person and she's already gone to the car. So I came to say good bye to you guys.

VAUGHN: No way! No junk food! Dude, what's up with that?

RORY: I just do not know Vaughn. It was nice meeting you. And Tristin, it was good seeing you again.

TRISTAN: Yeah you too. Take care of yourself, Mary.

Rory smiles and walks out to the car and takes Paris back to their dorm room.

RORY: [to herself] Maybe this won't be a bad year at all.

And thats the end of the first chapter. Review lots. HTML coding takes a freakin' long time and I hate it...just a side note, lol.

Till next time,

Carley-Marie : )


	2. Denial and a Pretty Stick

Category: Gilmore girls

Title: Take Care of Yourself, Mary

Date Started: May 28, 2004.

Author: carleymarie

Rating: P.G.-13

Pairing: Trory

Disclaimer: If I were writing this show at age sixteen you'd know. I'm sure you don't, so neither do I. I don't own cherry Blistex that I mention either.

Reviews: Always pleasant, but I'm not going to hold chapters hostage because you're not reviewing. Thanks to last chapters reviewers: i Lissygurl, Dee, sooty7sweep, rosie4299, smile1, robin2, troryaddict23, kay, amanda, meagan, gilmoregirlsaddict, and one anonymous reviewer. Also thanks to those who plowed through the unformatted copy of this chapter.

Author's Note: It's been a while. It's summer. My brain is rarely turned on. I'm not home a lot. I go hang out with friends. You get the idea.

SORRY ABOUT THE FORMAT OF THIS CHAPTER WHEN I PREVIOUSLY POSTED.

Chapter Two: Denial and Pretty Sticks

Rory and Paris are sitting in their dorm room after their night with Tristin and Vaughn. Both Rory and Paris are quietly reading. Actually Paris is reading and Rory is having a mental sparring match with herself.

RORY: Oh just shut up already!

PARIS: Uh Rory . . . I haven't said anything for the past forty minutes we've been sitting here. In fact, we didn't say anything on the car ride home either.

RORY: I just wasn't feeling that talkative.

PARIS: Yeah, until your little outburst a minute ago.

RORY: I'd hardly call it an outburst. I wasn't yelling at you. I didn't go off on a tangent. I really don't have anything to be mad at actually. My world is great, sun shines and freaking lollipops.

PARIS: Yeah, Rory you're right. That was more like an outburst.

Rory sat, slack jawed. She began to open her mouth to send out a comeback, but Paris continued . . .

PARIS: Wait, don't start talking, I'm not done yet. I think we both know what you're mad about. I'm not one big on games or mind bogglers, but here is one: his name starts with a 'T' and ends with an 'N'. Guess who?

RORY: You're funny Paris. Why don't you drop out of Yale, and pursue a career in comedy? You have miles on everyone else. AND, I'm not mad about Tristin. Why should I be?

PARIS: Ooh, let me try for this one. Hm . . . wait, maybe I should think about this one. Get some books, do a little research, take some poles. I can spell it out in big dumb letters for you. "Tristin likes Rory, and Rory likes Tristin. Paris had to go bye-bye from a dumb boy named Vaughn. Rory mad at Paris because Rory's date with Tristin ruined."

RORY: She's patronizing me, how lovely. I don't like Tristin.

PARIS: Cleopatra . . .

Rory interrupted Paris by saying:

RORY: ...Queen of Denile. It's old, and I'm not in denial. I'm not going through seven stages here, or anything else. To be completely frank, if I don't see Tristin again, that's fine with me.

PARIS: You're doing that flared nostril thing that you do when you lie. I swear you could shove watermelons up your nose.

RORY: Think what you want.

Rory shuts off her light and throws her comforter over her face.

RORY: I'm going to bed.

PARIS: So you can dream of Tristin.

RORY: Ugh!

NEXT MORNING

Rory's POV

The next morning I wake up and see a note on my side table left by Paris. It read: "Rory- Tristin is coming over at 10:00 a.m. He said something on the phone about wanting to take you out to make up or is that "make out" for the cut off "date" last night. I'm out for the day. - Paris

I look over at my clock and see that it is already nine-forty. "Oy with the poodles already! I have less than twenty minutes to get ready," I yell aloud to nobody in particular.

I go, take a quick shower, then blow dry my hair. I fumble to keep my towel wrapped around me as I find something to wear from my closet. I'm thinking that I need my mother, her advice, and ten pretty sticks to get ready in time. Remember your "first movie date" with Dean I think . .

Flashback

(Rory's bedroom. Rory is wearing a bathrobe and has clothes spread out all over the bed. Lorelai comes in.)

LORELAI: Hey. This is good. Add some cold cream and some curlers and let him know what he'll be coming home to every night.

RORY: This was supposed to be a simple night. Watch movies, eat junk, go to bed feeling sick. End of story. Now I'm supposed to look pretty and girly, which is completely impossible because I'm gross and I have nothing to wear.

LORELAI: Do you want some help?

RORY: No . . . yes.

LORELAI: OK. Uh . . . let's see. We'll do this and . . .

(Lorelai looks over the clothes for a minute.)

LORELAI: All right This says 'hello, I'm hip and cute but also relaxed since this is something I just threw on even though it looks fantastic on me.'

RORY: How'd you do that?

LORELAI: What?

RORY: I've been staring at that top for twenty minutes. It was just a top. You walked in and in three seconds, it's an outfit.

LORELAI: It comes from years of experiencing fashion brain freeze like the one you just had.

RORY: How do you do it?

LORELAI: What?

RORY: This whole guy thing. I mean I've watched you when you talk to a man. You have a comeback for everything, you make him laugh, you smile right --.

LORELAI: I smile right?

RORY: And then you do the little hair flip.

LORELAI: Oh, twirl. It's a hair twirl.

RORY: And then you walk away and he just stands there, amazed, like he can't believe what just happened.

LORELAI: That's because I just stole his wallet.

RORY: I'll never be able to do that. Trig, I can do. But boys and dating? Forget it. I'm a total spaz.

LORELAI: Listen, the talking part, you just get used to. The hair twirl I can teach you. And the leaving him amazed part -- with your brain and killer blue eyes I'm not worried. You'll do fine. Just give yourself a little time to get there.

RORY: Is half an hour enough?

LORELAI: Plenty. Come on. Dab on some lip gloss, clear but fruity. Maybe a little mascara. Wear your hair down and your attitude high.

RORY: You're like a crazy Elsa Klensch.

LORELAI: Oh, thank you! Come on now, hustle. We got a man coming over.

End of Flashback

"I'm hip and cute but also relaxed since this is something I just threw on even though it looks fantastic on me," I say quietly to myself as I shovel through all of my clothes. I finally pull out my dependable blue jeans, pink tank top, and pink flip flops to match. I quickly put them on, and run back to the bathroom. I add a little mascara, blush, and grab good-ole cherry Blistex so I can put it in my pocket when we go out.

I check the clock that reads nine fifty-six. Four minutes to spare I think to myself. I rush into the common room and sat down holding a book to make it look as if I had been sitting there for a long time.

I hear a knock at the door a couple of minutes later.

RORY: You're early. If you're going to be early, you can open the door yourself. Do a little manual labour.

I take a deep breath as I see the door open.

TRISTIN: Hey.

RORY: Hey.

He comes to sit next to me.

TRISTIN: I usually thought that being early on a date was a good thing. Then again I'm going out with Rory Gilmore. This is really going against convention.

RORY: Oh, this was a date?

TRISTIN: Well, yeah, I thought Paris told you. I mean we should do a little manual labour of our own.

He gave me one of those smirks and wiggled his eyebrows at me in a suggestive manner.

RORY: Same old Tristin.

TRISTIN: You wouldn't want me any other way.

RORY: No. No, I wouldn't.

TRISTIN: So shall we?

RORY: Shall we what?

TRISTIN: Go out on our date?

He looked at me as if I was crazy.

RORY: You mentioned this as a date like twenty times since you've gotten here.

He looked at me as if I didn't want to go out with him, which wasn't the case.

RORY: Say it one more time and we can go.

TRISTIN: Would you - Rory Gilmore, accompany me - Tristin DuGrey, on a date . . . right now?

I smiled and grabbed his out stretched hand.

RORY: I'd love to.

I stared at out intertwined hands as we walked out the door together.

This was going to be one heck of a day.

Author's Note: That's it. Another long chapter. Blows your mind, doesn't it? Again, I hate html coding. How about in the next chapter I leave it as one big block. It takes more dedication to read that way. Next chapter will be the date I figure, and we should see some enjoyable "manual labour" of their mouths, lol. Trory action. Next chapter. I promise.

'Till later,

Carley-Marie : )


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